Medical kit and dispenser for medical kits

ABSTRACT

Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing a medical kit, and, more particularly, to methods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing a medical kit for cleaning endoscopes. In some aspects, a medical kit may comprise an outer bag capable of being vacuum sealed, at least one inner bag contained within the outer bag, at least one solution container comprising a solution contained within the outer bag, at least one absorbent pad contained within the outer bag, and/or the like. The air from the outer bag may be evacuated to form a vacuum seal surrounding the at least one inner bag, the at least one solution container, and the at least one absorbent pad. In an additional aspect, the medical kit may comprise an absorbent pad and solution contained within a bag capable of being vacuum sealed. In yet another aspect, a dispenser may be implemented to dispense medical kits.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/559,737 (the “'737 Application”), filed on Sep. 18, 2017, by EdwardA. Cassinis, entitled, “Medical Kit and Dispenser for Medical Kits,” thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes.

This application may be related to each of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/017,047 (the “'047 Application”), filed Jun. 25, 2018 by EdwardA. Cassinis, entitled, “Medical Kit and Dispenser for Medical Kits,” andU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/017,127 (the “'127 Application”),filed concurrent herewith Jun. 25, 2018 by Edward A. Cassinis, entitled,“Medical Kit and Dispenser for Medical Kits.”

The respective disclosures of these applications/patents (which thisdocument refers to collectively as the “Related Applications”) areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general, to methods, systems, andapparatuses for implementing a medical kit, and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, and apparatuses for implementing a medical kit forcleaning endoscopes.

BACKGROUND

While a variety of medical kits exist in the medical and dental markets,these medical kits can be bulky and take up a lot of space. Hospitals,medical offices, dental offices, and the like often have limited storagespace with which to store the medical kits. Thus, hospitals, medicaloffices, dental offices, and the like may only have a limited number ofmedical kits stored onsite and may have to frequently order additionalmedical kits from a supplier. Bulky medical kits also add to shippingand handling costs. Further, it is desirable to ensure that an entiremedical kit is sterile and ready for use in an intensive care unit,operating room, and/or the like.

Various medical kits on the market comprise a bag containing solutionand an absorbent pad. The absorbent pad may be in fluid contact with thesolution and may at least partially absorb the solution contained withinthe bag. In addition to the absorbent pad and solution, the medical kitsalso comprise a significant amount of air. The absorbent pad in fluidcontact with the solution and the air in the medical kits cause themedical kits to be bulky and take up space.

Hence, there is a need for more robust and scalable solutions forimplementing a medical kit, and, more particularly, for implementing amedical kit for cleaning endoscopes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of particularembodiments may be realized by reference to the remaining portions ofthe specification and the drawings, in which like reference numerals areused to refer to similar components. In some instances, a sub-label isassociated with a reference numeral to denote one of multiple similarcomponents. When reference is made to a reference numeral withoutspecification to an existing sub-label, it is intended to refer to allsuch multiple similar components.

FIGS. 1A-1D are schematic diagrams illustrating a medical kit, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2E are schematic diagrams illustrating another medical kit, inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodimentcomprising a set of a plurality of medical kits.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating another embodimentcomprising a set of a plurality of medical kits.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating a vacuum sealingprocess for vacuum sealing one or more medical kits, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6E are schematic diagrams illustrating a plurality of systemsfor storing/dispensing a plurality of medical kits, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for vacuum packingmedical kits, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for vacuum packing aplurality of medical kits, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for vacuum packingmedical kits, in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for vacuum packing aplurality of medical kits, in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS Overview

Various embodiments provide improved techniques for implementing amedical kit, and, more particularly, to methods, systems, andapparatuses for implementing a medical kit for cleaning endoscopes.

In various embodiments, a medical kit (which may include medical kitsand/or dental kits) might comprise an outer bag that is capable of beingvacuum sealed. The outer bag may contain at least one inner bag, atleast one solution container comprising a solution contained within theouter bag, and at least one absorbent pad contained within the outerbag. The outer bag may then be evacuated to form a vacuum sealsurrounding the at least one inner bag, the at least one solutioncontainer, and the at least one absorbent pad.

In various other embodiments, a medical kit (which may include medicalkits and/or dental kits) might comprise a bag that is capable of beingvacuum sealed. The bag may contain at least one absorbent pad and asolution in fluid communication with the at least one absorbent pad. Thebag may then be evacuated to form at least a partial vacuum sealsurrounding the at least one absorbent pad and the solution in fluidcommunication with the at least one absorbent pad.

According to additional embodiments, a dispenser for dispensing medicalkits may be provided. The dispenser may comprise a container. Thecontainer may have a top, a bottom, and a body between the top and thebottom. A plurality of medical kits may be disposable within the body ofthe container. Each medical kit may comprise an outer bag containing atleast one inner bag, at least one solution container, and at least oneabsorbent pad. The outer bag may be evacuated to form a vacuum sealsurrounding the at least one inner bag, the at least one solutioncontainer, and the at least one absorbent pad. Additionally, and/oralternatively, each medical kit (which may include medical kits and/ordental kits) might comprise a bag that is capable of being vacuumsealed. The bag may contain at least one absorbent pad and a solution influid communication with the at least one absorbent pad. The bag maythen be at least partially evacuated to form at least a partial vacuumseal surrounding the at least one absorbent pad and the solution influid communication with the at least one absorbent pad. A lid may beattached to the container of the medical dispenser and an opening may bedisposed near the bottom of the container. The opening disposed near thebottom of the container may be configured to dispense at least onemedical kit at a time from the bottom of the container.

In this manner, medical kits (which may include both medical kits anddental kits) can be more easily stored in hospitals, medical offices,dental offices, warehouses, and/or the like. Further, by vacuum sealingthe medical kit within a protective bag and/or layer, the contents ofthe medical kit may be maintained in a sterile environment. This allowsdoctors, dentists, nurses, medical practitioners, dental practitioners,and/or the like to immediately use the medical kit in an intensive careunit, operating room, and/or the like without having to sterilize themedical kit first.

The following detailed description illustrates a few exemplaryembodiments in further detail to enable one of skill in the art topractice such embodiments. The described examples are provided forillustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to oneskilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the presentinvention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Inother instances, certain structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form. Several embodiments are described herein, and whilevarious features are ascribed to different embodiments, it should beappreciated that the features described with respect to one embodimentmay be incorporated with other embodiments as well. By the same token,however, no single feature or features of any described embodimentshould be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention, asother embodiments of the invention may omit such features.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers used herein to expressquantities, dimensions, and so forth used should be understood as beingmodified in all instances by the term “about.” In this application, theuse of the singular includes the plural unless specifically statedotherwise, and use of the terms “and” and “or” means “and/or” unlessotherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as wellas other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considerednon-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompassboth elements and components comprising one unit and elements andcomponents that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically statedotherwise.

In an aspect, a medical kit might comprise an outer bag capable of beingvacuum sealed, at least one inner bag contained within the outer bag, atleast one solution container comprising a solution contained within theouter bag, and at least one absorbent pad contained within the outerbag. The outer bag may be evacuated to form a vacuum seal surroundingthe at least one inner bag, the at least one solution container, and theat least one absorbent pad. By evacuating air from the outer bag, thesize of the outer bag and the size of the contents inside the outer bagmay be reduced. In some embodiments, the medical kit may be configuredfor use as an endoscope cleaning kit. The endoscope may be at least oneof a cystoscope, a nephroscope, a bronchoscope, an arthroscope, acolonoscope, or a laparoscope, and/or the like.

The at least one inner bag, the at least one solution container, and theat least one absorbent pad may be sterilized and maintained within asterile environment within the vacuum sealed outer bag. The vacuumsealing of the medical kit may be conducted in a sterile environmentsuch that the contents of the medical kit remain sterile until the outerbag is opened. Alternatively, the contents of the medical kit may besterilized after vacuum sealing the medical kit. This may be done byirradiating the medical kit after it is vacuum packed. Thus, thecontents of the outer bag may be used immediately in sterile areas suchas operating rooms, intensive care units, and/or the like. In order tomaintain the sterile environment within the vacuum sealed outer bag, theouter bag may be sealed with at least one of glue, tape, compression,thermosetting, adhesive-curing, or melting an end of the outer bag,and/or the like.

The at least one inner bag may be used by a doctor, dentist, medicalpractitioner, or dental practitioner, and/or the like, to housecomponents (e.g., the solution, absorbent pad, and/or the like) when theouter bag is opened. A user of the medical kit may mix solutions withinthe inner bag and/or place an absorbent pad in the inner bag with thesolution, mixture of solution, and/or the like.

The at least one inner bag may be arranged within the outer bag suchthat, when the outer bag is opened, the inner bag does not rip or tear.The at least one inner bag may be empty and/or unsealed. The at leastone inner bag may be configured to stand upright when unfolded. The atleast one inner bag may further comprise at least two sidewall panels.The side wall panels of the at least one inner bag may be configured toexpand. By having the side wall panels of the at least one inner bagexpand, a user of the medical kit can easily insert his/her hand intothe inner bag. The medical kit may further comprise at least two innerbags. Each inner bag of the at least two inner bags may be used for adifferent purpose. Further, the at least two inner bags may be differentsizes.

In additional embodiments, the solution contained within the solutioncontainer may be at least one of a cleaning solution, a detergent, aready-to-use detergent, a concentrated detergent, a ready-to-useenzymatic detergent, a concentrated enzymatic detergent, water,distilled water, desalinated water, sterilized water, deionized water,sterilized distilled water, sterilized desalinated water, sterilizeddeionized water, and/or the like. The medical kit may further compriseat least two solution containers. The at least two solution containersmay comprise at least two different solutions. A user of the medical kitmay be able to mix the at least two different solutions in the innerbag.

The absorbent pad contained in the outer bag may be at least one of acloth, a sponge, a textured sponge, a square sponge, or a tubularsponge, and/or the like. In use and once the outer bag is opened, theabsorbent pad may be placed in fluid contact with the solution in theinner bag.

The medical kit may further comprise at least one of one or more pairsof gloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one or more syringes,tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or more suction tips, oneor more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes,one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, one or morebiohazard stickers, one or more bags containing water, or one or morevalves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves,one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like. Additionally, and/oralternatively, the medical kit may comprise at least one of a pluralityof pairs of gloves of different sizes, a plurality of transport bags ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality ofnasal cannulas of different sizes, a plurality of tip guards ofdifferent sizes, or a plurality of brushes of different sizes, and/orthe like.

In another aspect, a method might comprise providing a first layer ofvacuum sealable material, providing a plurality of medical kits, whereineach medical kit comprises at least one inner bag, at least one solutioncontainer, and at least one absorbent pad, placing at least two medicalkits of the plurality of medical kits in at least two different placeson top of the first layer of vacuum sealable material, placing a secondlayer of vacuum sealable material over the first layer of vacuumsealable material and the at least two medical kits, creating at leasttwo chambers with the first layer of vacuum sealable material and thesecond layer of vacuum sealable material, wherein each chamber containsone medical kit, and vacuum sealing each of the at least two chambers.

In additional embodiments, the at least two chambers may be attached toone another. This attachment may be a removable attachment. The at leasttwo chambers may be attached to one another via one or more perforationsbetween each chamber. The at least two chambers may be detachable fromone another via the one or more perforations between each chamber. Theat least two chambers may be configured to be stacked on top of eachother.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the at least two chambers may beconfigured to be attached to one another via at least one of a string, astrip of plastic, or tape, and/or the like. When the at least twochambers are attached to one another via at least one of the string, thestrip of plastic, or the tape, and/or the like, the at least twochambers may be configured to stand upright on edges corresponding tothe at least two chambers. The at least two chambers may further bestored by attaching a specified number of chambers together and placingthe specified number of chambers upright on edges corresponding to thespecified number of chambers.

Each chamber may comprise one or more pairs of gloves, a transport bag,lubricating jelly, one or more syringes, tubing, one or more sets ofbite blocks, one or more suction tips, one or more face masks, one ormore nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes, one or more tip guards, oneor more brushes, gauze, one or more biohazard stickers, one or more bagscontaining water, or one or more valves (e.g., one or more air/watervalves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsy valves), and/orthe like. Additionally, and/or alternatively, each chamber of theplurality of chambers may further comprise at least one of a pluralityof pairs of gloves of different sizes, a plurality of transport bags ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality ofnasal cannulas of different sizes, a plurality of tip guards ofdifferent sizes, or a plurality of brushes of different sizes, and/orthe like.

In an additional aspect, a medical kit may comprise a first bag capableof being vacuum sealed, at least one absorbent pad contained within thefirst bag, and a solution contained within the first bag and in contactwith the at least one absorbent pad. The first bag may be partiallyevacuated to form at least a partial vacuum seal surrounding the atleast one absorbent pad and the solution. By, at least partially,evacuating air from the bag, the size of the bag and the size of thecontents inside the first bag may be reduced. In some embodiments, themedical kit may be configured for use as an endoscope cleaning kit. Theendoscope may be at least one of a cystoscope, a nephroscope, abronchoscope, an arthroscope, a colonoscope, or a laparoscope, and/orthe like.

The at least one absorbent pad and the solution contained within thefirst bag and in contact with the at least one absorbent pad may besterilized and maintained within a sterile environment within the atleast partially vacuum sealed bag. The vacuum sealing of the medical kitmay be conducted in a sterile environment such that the contents of themedical kit remain sterile until the first bag is opened. Alternatively,the contents of the medical kit may be sterilized after vacuum sealingthe medical kit. This may be done by irradiating the medical kit afterit is vacuum packed. Thus, the contents of the first bag may be usedimmediately in sterile areas such as operating rooms, intensive careunits, and/or the like. In order to maintain the sterile environmentwithin the vacuum sealed first bag, the first bag may be sealed with atleast one of glue, tape, compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, ormelting an end of the bag, and/or the like.

The medical kit may further comprise an outer bag surrounding thepartially vacuum sealed first bag. The outer bag may be evacuated toform a vacuum seal surrounding the first bag.

The solution contained within the first bag may be at least one of acleaning solution, a detergent, a ready-to-use detergent, a concentrateddetergent, a ready-to-use enzymatic detergent, a concentrated enzymaticdetergent, water, distilled water, desalinated water, sterilized water,deionized water, sterilized distilled water, sterilized desalinatedwater, sterilized deionized water, and/or the like. The medical kit maycomprise at least two different solutions.

The medical kit may further comprise, within the outer bag and outsideof the first bag, at least one of one or more pairs of gloves, atransport bag, lubricating jelly, one or more syringes, tubing, one ormore sets of bite blocks, one or more suction tips, one or more facemasks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes, one or moretip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, one or more biohazard stickers,one or more bags containing water, or one or more valves (e.g., one ormore air/water valves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsyvalves), and/or the like. Additionally, and/or alternatively, themedical kit may further comprise, within the outer bag and outside ofthe first bag, at least one of a plurality of pairs of gloves ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of transport bags of different sizes, aplurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of tip guards of different sizes, or aplurality of brushes of different sizes, and/or the like. The outer bagmay be vacuum sealed to surround the first bag and at least one of oneor more pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one or moresyringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or more suctiontips, one or more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or moreelectrodes, one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, one ormore biohazard stickers, one or more bags containing water, one or morevalves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves,one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like.

In another aspect, a method for making a medical kit may compriseproviding a bag capable of being vacuum sealed, placing at least oneabsorbent pad within the bag, placing a solution on the absorbent padcontained within the bag, wherein the solution is at least partiallyabsorbed by the absorbent pad, and evacuating air from the bag to createa partial vacuum seal surrounding the at least one absorbent pad and thesolution contained within the bag.

In yet another aspect, a method for making a medical kit may compriseproviding a first layer of vacuum sealable material, placing at leastone absorbent pad on top of the first layer of vacuum sealable material,placing a solution on the absorbent pad, wherein the solution is atleast partially absorbed by the absorbent pad, and placing a secondlayer of vacuum sealable material over the first layer of vacuumsealable material, the at least one absorbent pad, and the solution. Themethod may further comprise creating at least one chamber with the firstlayer of vacuum sealable material and the second layer of vacuumsealable material, wherein each chamber contains the at least oneabsorbent pad and the solution, and evacuating air from the bag tocreate a partial vacuum seal surrounding the at least one absorbent padand the solution contained within the bag.

In additional embodiments, the at least two chambers may be attached toone another. This attachment may be a removable attachment. The at leasttwo chambers may be attached to one another via one or more perforationsbetween each chamber. The at least two chambers may be detachable fromone another via the one or more perforations between each chamber. Theat least two chambers may be configured to be stacked on top of eachother.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the at least two chambers may beconfigured to be attached to one another via at least one of a string, astrip of plastic, or tape, and/or the like. When the at least twochambers are attached to one another via at least one of the string, thestrip of plastic, or the tape, and/or the like, the at least twochambers may be configured to stand upright on edges corresponding tothe at least two chambers. The at least two chambers may further bestored by attaching a specified number of chambers together and placingthe specified number of chambers upright on edges corresponding to thespecified number of chambers.

In some additional embodiments, the method might further comprisesurrounding the at least one chamber with an outer bag and evacuatingthe outer bag to form a vacuum seal surrounding the at least onechamber. Additional items may be placed, within the vacuum sealed outerbag and outside of the vacuums sealed at least one chamber, including atleast one of one or more pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricatingjelly, one or more syringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks,one or more suction tips, one or more face masks, one or more nasalcannulas, one or more electrodes, one or more tip guards, one or morebrushes, gauze, one or more biohazard stickers, one or more bagscontaining water, or one or more valves (e.g., one or more air/watervalves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsy valves), and/orthe like.

In yet another aspect, a dispenser for dispensing medical kits may beprovided. The dispenser may comprise a container comprising a top, abottom, and a body between the top and the bottom. A plurality ofmedical kits may be disposable within the body of the container. Eachmedical kit may comprise one outer bag containing at least one innerbag, at least one solution container, and at least one absorbent pad.The outer bag may be evacuated to form a vacuum seal surrounding the atleast one inner bag, the at least one solution container, and the atleast one absorbent pad. A lid may be attached to the top of thecontainer and an opening may be disposed near the bottom of thecontainer. The opening may be configured to dispense at least onemedical kit at a time from the bottom of the container.

In another embodiment of the dispenser, the at least one medical kit mayprotrude slightly from the opening of the container. Additionally,and/or alternatively, removing the at least one medical kit protrudingfrom the opening of the container may cause another at least one medicalkit to protrude from the opening of the container.

The plurality of medical kits may be removably attached together viaperforations. In order to remove the medical kits attached together viaperforations, the bottom of the dispenser may comprise at least fourspring loaded tabs and a hand tab on either side of the body near thebottom. The plurality of medical kits when disposed in the body may bearranged such that the perforations are adjacent to the sides of thedispenser. Removing one of the at least one medical kit by pulling anon-perforated side of the medical kit via one of the hand tabs maycause the spring-loaded tabs to flex and rebound to prevent the nextmedical kit from falling. The resultant hanging medical kit may then beremoved by tearing along the perforations. The bottom of the containermay be configured to aid a user in tearing the one or more medical kitsalong the perforations.

In additional embodiments, the bottom portion of the container may beslanted. Additionally, and/or alternatively, gravity may be used to aiddispensing of each medical kit from the container. The lid may behingedly connected to the top of the container and the container maycontain a predetermined amount of medical kits.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the embodimentsdiscussed without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, while the embodiments described above refer to particularfeatures, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments havingdifferent combination of features and embodiments that do not includeall of the above described features.

Specific Exemplary Embodiments

We now turn to the embodiments as illustrated by the drawings. FIGS.1-10 illustrate some of the features of a method, system, and/orapparatus a medical kit, and, more particularly, to methods, systems,and apparatuses for implementing a medical kit for cleaning endoscopes,as referred to above. The methods, systems, and/or apparatusesillustrated by FIGS. 1-10 refer to examples of different embodimentsthat include various components and steps, which can be consideredalternatives or which can be used in conjunction with one another in thevarious embodiments. The description of the illustrated methods,systems, and apparatuses shown in FIGS. 1-10 is provided for purposes ofillustration and should not be considered to limit the scope of thedifferent embodiments.

With reference to the figures, FIGS. 1A-1D (collectively, “FIG. 1”) areschematic diagrams illustrating a medical kit 100, in accordance withvarious embodiments. The medical kit 100 may be a medical kit or adental kit for use in a hospital, medical office, dental office, and/orthe like. The medical kit 100 may be used for cleaning medicalinstruments such as surgical instruments, medical instruments, dentalinstruments, and/or the like. The medical kit 100 may also be used toclean endoscopes such as cystoscopes, nephroscopes, bronchoscopes,arthroscopes, colonoscopes, laparoscopes, and/or the like. It should benoted that the components depicted in FIG. 1 are not necessarily shownto scale, and can each be any suitable size consistent with the variousembodiments described herein.

The medical kit 100 may comprise an outer bag 105. The outer bag 105 maybe a bag that is capable of being vacuum sealed. The outer bag 105 maybe vacuum sealed around components of the medical kit 100 to reduce thesize of medical kit 100 and make it easier to store medical kit 100.Further, the vacuum sealing of the outer bag 105 may create a sterileenvironment within medical kit 100 such that the components of medicalkit 100 may be immediately used in an operating room, intensive careunit, and/or the like.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the outer bag 105 may comprise atleast two layers. The at least two layers of the outer bag 105 may beattached together and surround components of the medical kit 100. The atleast two layers of the outer bag 105 may be held together via glue,tape, compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, melting an end of atleast one layer, and/or the like. The at least two layers of the outerbag 105 may also be vacuum sealable.

In some embodiments, a first layer of the at least two layers the outerbag 105 may be formed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, aflexible or rigid plastic, or foam, and/or the like. The first layer maybe formed to be a thin sheet of material, a tray, and/or the like. Asecond layer of the at least two layers of the outer bag 105 may beformed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, a flexible orrigid plastic, or foam, and/or the like.

In another non-limiting example, a first layer may be made from foamand/or rigid plastic. The foam and/or rigid plastic may be formed in theshape of a tray. Contents of the medical kit 100 may be placed in thetray (on top of the first layer of material). A flexible film orflexible plastic (second layer) may be placed over the tray (firstlayer). When the air is evacuated from outer bag 105, the flexible filmor flexible plastic (second layer) may be configured to surround thecontents of the tray (first layer) and seal the contents between thetray (first layer) and the flexible film or flexible plastic (secondlayer).

Once the air from the outer bag 105 is evacuated, the outer bag may besealed to maintain the vacuum within the outer bag with at least one ofglue, tape, compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, or melting anend of the outer bag, and/or the like. The outer bag 105 may be made ofwater and/or liquid-impermeable material such as plastic, film, and/orthe like.

The medical kit 100 may further comprise at least one inner bag 110. Theat least one inner bag 110 may be arranged within the outer bag 105 suchthat when the outer bag 105 is opened, the inner bag 110 does not rip ortear. The at least one inner bag 110 may be empty (i.e., not containingany other components of the medical kit). Additionally, and/oralternatively, the inner bag 110 may contain at least one othercomponent (e.g., an absorbent pad, solution, gloves, mask, etc.) of themedical kit 100.

The at least one inner bag 110 may also be unsealed within the outer bag105. By having an unsealed inner bag 110, the inner bag 110 may easilybe compressed when air from the outer bag 105 is evacuated. The innerbag 110 may be sterilized before being placed in outer bag 105.

The inner bag 110 may also be capable of being sealed. The seal of theinner bag 110 may be resealable and may be at least one of a press seal,a zip seal, or the like. The inner bag 110, being capable of beingresealable, may be used to dispose of used components of the medical kit100 without contaminating the intensive care unit, operating room,and/or the like.

The inner bag 110 may be used by a doctor, dentist, nurse, medicalpractitioner, or dental practitioner, and/or the like, to mix variouscomponents of the medical kit 100 after the medical kit 100 has beenopened. In a non-limiting example, the at least one inner bag 110 may beused to contain a solution and at least one absorbent pad after themedical kit 100 is opened. The inner bag 110 may be made of water and/orliquid-impermeable material such as plastic, film, and/or the like suchthat liquid contained within the inner bag does not leak.

The inner bag 110 may be configured to stand upright when it isunfolded. In order to achieve this feature, the inner bag 110 may have aflat bottom, a bottom gusset panel, and/or the like. Additionally,and/or alternatively, the inner bag 110 may be configured to expand. Inorder to expand, the inner bag 110 may comprise at least two sidewallpanels and the side wall panels may be configured to expand.

The inner bag 110 may further contain hash marks, gradation lines,and/or the like. The hash marks, gradation lines, and/or the like, maybe located on a side panel, front panel, and/or back panel of the innerbag 110. The hash marks, gradation lines, and/or the like, may be usedto indicate a measurement or a location indicating where to fill theinner bag 110 with solution.

The medical kit 100 may further comprise at least two inner bags 110.The at least two inner bags 110 may be of different sizes and/or may beused for different purposes.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the medical kit 100 may comprise asolution contained within a solution container 115. The solutioncontainer 115 may contain a predetermined amount of solution that isneeded for a particular task. By providing a predetermined amount ofsolution suitable for a particular task, a doctor, dentist, nurse,medical practitioner, or dental practitioner, and/or the like, does notneed to measure out a particular amount of solution before using medicalkit 100.

The solution contained within the solution container 115 may be at leastone of a cleaning solution, a detergent, a ready-to-use detergent, aconcentrated detergent, a ready-to-use enzymatic detergent, aconcentrated enzymatic detergent, water, distilled water, desalinatedwater, sterilized water, deionized water, sterilized distilled water,sterilized desalinated water, or sterilized deionized water, and/or thelike. The medical kit 100 may further contain at least two solutioncontainers 115. The solutions contained within the at least two solutioncontainers 115 may contain the same solution or at least two differentsolutions.

In a non-limiting example, the medical kit 100 may comprise a firstsolution container comprising a solution (e.g., a cleaning solution, adetergent, a ready-to-use detergent, a concentrated detergent, aready-to-use enzymatic detergent, a concentrated enzymatic detergent,and/or the like) which needs to be diluted and a second solutioncontainer comprising a solution (e.g., water, distilled water,desalinated water, sterilized water, deionized water, sterilizeddistilled water, sterilized desalinated water, sterilized deionizedwater, and/or the like) that may be used to dilute the first solution.In an additional non-limiting example, the first solution container maycomprise concentrated enzymatic detergent and the second container maycomprise distilled water. By providing a concentrated enzymaticdetergent, the shelf life of the medical kit may be expanded. Further,it is often difficult to find distilled/desalinated/deionized water in ahospital, medical office, dental office, and/or the like. By providingboth the concentrated enzymatic detergent and thedistilled/desalinated/deionized water, a doctor, dentist, nurse, medicalpractitioner, or dental practitioner, and/or the like, can easily mixthe concentrated enzymatic detergent and distilled water onsite withininner bag 110.

The solution container 115 may be sterilized and vacuum sealed withinouter bag 105.

The medical kit 100 may further comprise at least one absorbent pad 120.The absorbent pad 120 may be at least one of a cloth, a sponge, atextured sponge, a square sponge, or a tubular sponge, and/or the like.The absorbent pad 120 may be used (after the medical kit 100 is opened)to absorb the solution from the solution container 115 in the inner bag110 and the absorbent pad 120 may be used to clean a medical instrument.

The absorbent pad 120 may be sterilized and vacuum sealed within outerbag 105.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the medical kit 100 may include additionalvariations such as medical kit 100′. Medical kit 100′ may furtherinclude additional components in addition to or separate from the innerbag 110, solution container 115, and/or absorbent pad 120. For example,the medical kit 100′ may additionally include, without limitation, atleast one of one or more pairs of gloves 125, a transport bag 130,lubricating jelly 135, one or more syringes 140, tubing 145, one or moresets of bite blocks 150, one or more suction tips 155, one or more facemasks 160, one or more nasal cannulas 170, one or more electrodes 175,one or more tip guards 180, one or more brushes 185, gauze 190, one ormore biohazard stickers 195, one or more bags containing water 197, orone or more valves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or moresuction valves, one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like. The one ormore pairs of gloves 125, transport bag 130, lubricating jelly 135, oneor more syringes 140, tubing 145, one or more sets of bite blocks 150,one or more suction tips 155, one or more face masks 160, one or morenasal cannulas 170, one or more electrodes 175, one or more tip guards180, one or more brushes 185, gauze 190, one or more biohazard stickers195, one or more bags containing water 197, or one or more valves (e.g.,one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves, one or morebiopsy valves), and/or the like, may be sterilized before or after beingplaced in medical kit 100′.

The transport bag 130 may be configured to transport medical instrumentssuch as endoscopes after the medical instruments have been cleaned usingcomponents of medical kit 100′. The tubing 145 may be at least one ofsuction tubing, irrigation tubing, catheter, intravenous (“IV”) driptubing, or tourniquet, and/or the like. The one or more brushes 185 mayinclude, but are not limited to, a standard endoscope brush, a doubleended port and valve cleaning brush, a combination squeegee brush, or achannel cleaning brush, and/or the like.

Medical kit 100′ may further include, without limitation, at least oneof a plurality of pairs of gloves of different sizes, a plurality oftransport bags of different sizes, a plurality of masks of differentsizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas of different sizes, a plurality oftip guards of different sizes, or a plurality of brushes of differentsizes, and/or the like.

The medical kit 100 may comprise any combination of these componentslisted above, plus any other component not listed above. There arealmost an unlimited number of components that may be included in medicalkit 100 and an almost unlimited number of ways to combine differentcomponents within medical kit 100. Additional variations of medical kit100 (i.e., medical kit 100″ and medical kit 100′″) are shown in thenon-limiting embodiments of FIGS. 1C and 1D. Medical kit 100″ of FIG. 1Cmight include, without limitation, an inner bag 110, a solutioncontainer 115, a tubular sponge 120 a, gloves 125, and medical mask 160,and/or the like. Medical kit 100′″ of FIG. 1D might include, but is notlimited to, an inner bag 110, a solution container 115, a square sponge120 b, one or more pairs of gloves 125, a transport bag 130, medicalmask 160, brush 185, and gauze 190, and/or the like. However, medicalkit 100 is not limited to only the embodiments displayed in the Figures.

By vacuum sealing the outer bag 105, components of the medical kit 100such as inner bag 110, absorbent pad 120, gloves 125, transport bag 130,tubing 145, face masks 160, nasal cannulas 170, brushes 185, gauze 190,and/or the like may be compressed. Thus, medical kit 100 may take upless space and may be easier to store in hospitals, medical offices,dental offices, and/or the like. Further, by sterilizing the differentcomponents of medical kit 100 and vacuum sealing medical kit 100 in asterile environment, the components of the medical kit 100 may be usedin intensive care units, operating rooms, and/or the like.

FIGS. 2A-2E (collectively, “FIG. 2”) are schematic diagrams illustratinga medical kit 200, in accordance with various embodiments.

Medical kit 200 may comprise a bag 205 (which may correspond to bag 105of FIG. 1) and an absorbent pad 210 (collectively, “absorbent pad 210,”which may correspond to absorbent pad 120 of FIG. 1). The bag 205 may beformed by at least two layer that are sealed together. Medical kit 200may be formed by placing a solution (represented by droplet 230) on theabsorbent pad 210 contained within the bag 205. The solution 230 (whichmay correspond to the solution contained within solution container 115of FIG. 1) may be at least partially absorbed by the absorbent pad 210.The bag 205 may then be evacuated to create at least a partial vacuumseal surrounding the at least one absorbent pad 210 and the solutioncontained within the bag 205.

The vacuum sealed bag 205 may additionally be contained within a vacuumsealed outer bag 215. The vacuum sealed outer bag 215 may containadditional components of the medical kit 200 as shown by FIGS. 2B-2E(containing medical kit variations 200′-200′″). For example, as shown inFIG. 2B, the outer bag 215 may contain additional components such as oneor more face masks 220 and one or more pairs of gloves 225. As shown inFIG. 2C, the outer bag 215 may contain additional components such as aninner bag 235 (which may correspond to inner bag 110 shown in FIG. 1).The outer bag 215 may additionally contain an inner bag 235 and one ormore bags containing water 240, as shown in FIG. 2D. In various otherembodiments, the outer bag 215 might contain, as shown FIG. 2E, an innerbag 235, one or more bags containing water 240, and one or moretransport bags 245. FIGS. 2A-2E are supposed to be non-limiting examplesof different medical kits 200 and each medical 200 might include anycombination of an absorbent pad, one or more face masks, one or moregloves, one or more bags containing water, one or more inner bags, oneor more transport bags, gauze, lubricating jelly, one or more syringes,tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or more suction tips, oneor more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes, one or more tip guards,one or more brushes, gauze, one or more biohazard stickers, one or morevalves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves,one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like.

The vacuum sealed bag 205, absorbent pad 210, components of the medicalkit 200 or 200′, and the like, may be sterilized and maintained within asterile environment within the vacuum sealed bag 205 and/or outer vacuumsealed bag 215.

FIGS. 3A and 3B (collectively, “FIG. 3”) are schematic diagramsillustrating various embodiments 300 or 300′ of a set of a plurality ofmedical kits 305 a-305 n (collectively, “medical kits 305”).

Medical kits 305 (which may correspond to medical kit 100 of FIG. 1and/or medical kit 200 of FIG. 2) may be formed by providing a firstlayer of vacuum sealable material. The first layer of vacuum sealablematerial may be formed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, aflexible or rigid plastic, or foam, and/or the like. The first layer maybe formed to be a thin sheet of material or a tray, and/or the like. Thefirst layer may further be formed from water and/or liquid-impermeablematerial to prevent leaks.

Next, components (e.g., an inner bag 310, a solution container 315, anabsorbent pad 320, a partially vacuum sealed bag containing an absorbentpad in contact with solution, and/or other components) of the medicalkit 305 may be placed on top of the first layer of vacuum sealablematerial. A second layer of vacuum sealable material may be placed overthe components of medical kit 305. The second layer of vacuum sealablematerial may be formed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, aflexible or rigid plastic, or foam, and/or the like. The second layermay further be formed from water and/or liquid-impermeable material toprevent leaks.

The first layer of vacuum sealable material and the second layer ofvacuum sealable material may be held together via at least one of glue,tape, compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, or melting an end ofthe outer bag, and/or the like. The components of each medical kit 305may then be vacuum sealed between the first layer of vacuum sealablematerial and the second layer of vacuum sealable material.

The components of the plurality of medical kits 305 may be vacuum sealedin a sterile environment and maintained in a sterile environment betweenthe first layer of vacuum sealable material and the second layer ofvacuum sealable material such that the contents of the medical kits 305remain sterile and are available for immediate use (without the need foradditional sterilization) in an operating room, intensive care unit,and/or the like.

One medical kit 305 and/or a plurality of medical kits 305 may becreated using the method described above. If a plurality of medical kits305 are created, then each medical kit 305 may be removably attached toanother medical kit 305 via perforations 325. A doctor, dentist, medicalpractitioner, dental practitioner, and/or the like may easily detach onemedical kit 305 from the others of the plurality of medical kits 305 viaperforations 325.

The plurality of medical kits 305 may contain at least one of aplurality of pairs of gloves of different sizes, a plurality oftransport bags of different sizes, a plurality of masks of differentsizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas of different sizes, a plurality oftip guards of different sizes, or a plurality of brushes of differentsizes, and/or the like. In a non-limiting example, a first medical kitof the plurality of medical kits 305 may contain small gloves, while asecond medical kit of the plurality of medical kits may contain mediumgloves, and so on. Thus, a user of the medical kit may order differentmedical kits to suit different purposes.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, each medical kit of the plurality ofmedical kits 305 may contain at least one of a plurality of pairs ofgloves of different sizes, a plurality of transport bags of differentsizes, a plurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality of nasalcannulas of different sizes, a plurality of tip guards of differentsizes, or a plurality of brushes of different sizes, and/or the like.

By evacuating the air from the plurality of medical kits 305, themedical kits 305 are significantly smaller and take up less space thanthe medical kits currently sold in the medical and dental markets. Thus,a greater number of medical kits 305 may be stored in hospitals, medicaloffices, or dental offices, and/or the like.

Further, the standard medical kits sold in the medical and dentalmarkets do not contain a sterile inner bag 310. Thus, medical kits(currently on the market) may first require sterilization before beingused in an operating room, intensive care unit, and/or the like. Byproviding a sterile inner bag 310 within a first layer and a secondlayer, a medical practitioner can open medical kits 305 and use themimmediately.

FIGS. 4A and 4B (collectively, “FIG. 4”) are schematic diagramsillustrating various embodiments 400 or 400′ of a set of a plurality ofmedical kits 405 a-405 n (collectively, “medical kits 405”).

Medical kits 405 (which may correspond to medical kit 200 of FIG. 2) maybe formed by providing a first layer of vacuum sealable material. Thefirst layer of vacuum sealable material may be formed from at least oneof a flexible or rigid film, a flexible or rigid plastic, or foam,and/or the like. The first layer may be formed to be a thin sheet ofmaterial, a tray, and/or the like. The first layer may further be formedfrom water and/or liquid-impermeable material to prevent leaks.

Next, components (e.g., an absorbent pad 410 in contact with solution(represented by droplet 420)) of the medical kit 405 may be placed ontop of the first layer of vacuum sealable material. A second layer ofvacuum sealable material may be placed over the components of medicalkit 405. The second layer of vacuum sealable material may be formed fromat least one of a flexible or rigid film, a flexible or rigid plastic,or foam, and/or the like. The second layer may further be formed fromwater and/or liquid-impermeable material to prevent leaks.

The first layer of vacuum sealable material and the second layer ofvacuum sealable material may be held together via glue, tape,compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, or melting an end of theouter bag, and/or the like. The components of each medical kit 405 maythen be at least partially vacuum sealed between the first layer ofvacuum sealable material and the second layer of vacuum sealablematerial.

The components of the plurality of medical kits 405 may be vacuum sealedin a sterile environment and maintained in a sterile environment betweenthe first layer of vacuum sealable material and the second layer ofvacuum sealable material such that the contents of the medical kits 405remain sterile and are available for immediate use (without the need foradditional sterilization) in an operating room, intensive care unit,and/or the like.

One medical kit 405 and/or a plurality of medical kits 405 may becreated using the method described above. If a plurality of medical kits405 are created, then each medical kit 405 may be removably attached toanother medical kit 405 via perforations 415. A doctor, dentist, medicalpractitioner, or dental practitioner, and/or the like, may easily detachone medical kit 405 from the plurality of medical kits 405 viaperforations 415.

Each medical kit 405 may then be placed within an outer bag (not shown)and the outer bag may contain other components including at least one ofone or more pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one ormore syringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or moresuction tips, one or more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one ormore electrodes, one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, oneor more biohazard stickers, one or more bags containing water, or one ormore valves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suctionvalves, one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like. The outer bag maybe vacuum sealed around medical kits 405, similar to the processdescribed above and similar to the process described with respect toFIG. 3.

By evacuating the air from the plurality of medical kits 405 and/or anouter bag surrounding medical kits 405, the medical kits 405 aresignificantly smaller and take up less space than the medical kitscurrently sold in the medical and dental markets. Thus, a greater numberof medical kits 405 may be stored in hospitals, medical offices, ordental offices, and/or the like.

Turning to FIGS. 5A and 5B (collectively, “FIG. 5”), FIGS. 5A and 5B areschematic diagrams illustrating a vacuum sealing process 500 or 500′ forvacuum sealing one or more medical kits 505 (which may correspond tomedical kits 100 (or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′, 200″, 200′″,or 200″″), 305 a-305 n, and 405 a-405 n of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4,respectively), in accordance with various embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 5A, medical kit 505 represents a medical kit before ithas been vacuum sealed. Medical kit 505′ represents a medical kit whileit is being vacuum sealed. Medical kit 505″ represents a medical kitafter it has been vacuum sealed. The medical kit(s) 505, 505′, and 505″may have one or more items 510 a-510 n (collectively, “items 510”). Theone or more items 510 may include, without limitation, at least one ofone or more inner bags, one or more absorbent pads, one or more solutioncontainers, one or more pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricatingjelly, one or more syringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks,one or more suction tips, one or more face masks, one or more nasalcannulas, one or more electrodes, one or more tip guards, one or morebrushes, gauze, one or more biohazard stickers, one or more bagscontaining water, or one or more valves (e.g., one or more air/watervalves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsy valves), and/orthe like.

As shown in FIG. 5B, medical kit 515 represents a medical kit before ithas been vacuum sealed. Medical kit 515′ represents a medical kit whileit is being vacuum sealed. Medical kit 515″ represents a medical kitafter it has been at least partially vacuum sealed. An at leastpartially vacuum sealed medical kit might have most, but not all of theair evacuated from it. The medical kit(s) 515, 515′, and 515″ may haveone or more absorbent pads 520 in contact with a solution (representedby droplet 525).

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, by evacuating the air from the one or moremedical kits 505 and 515, the medical kits 505″ and 515″ (after being atleast partially vacuum sealed) are significantly smaller and take upless space than the medical kits currently sold in the medical anddental markets. Thus, a greater number of medical kits 505″ and 515″ maybe stored in hospitals, medical offices, or dental offices, and/or thelike.

Turning to FIGS. 6A-6E (collectively, “FIG. 6”), FIGS. 6A-6E areschematic diagrams illustrating a plurality of systems 600 a-600 e forstoring a plurality of medical kits 605 a-605 n (collectively, “medicalkits 605”), in accordance with various embodiments.

There are a variety of ways that medical kits 605 (which may correspondto medical kit 100 (or 100′, 100″, or 100′″) of FIG. 1, medical kit 200(or 200′) of FIG. 2, medical kits 305 a-305 n of FIG. 3, medical kits405 a-405 n of FIG. 4, and medical kits 505 and 515 of FIG. 5, and/orthe like) may be stored.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, system 600 a might comprise a box 610.A predetermined number of medical kits 605 may be stored in box 610.Storing medical kits 605 in box 610 would be simple because medical kits605 may simply be stored in the box in which they are shipped. The box610 may contain more medical kits 605 than standard medical kits thatare currently in use because the air has been evacuated from medicalkits 605.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6B, medical kits605 may be stored by stacking a plurality of medical kits 605 on top ofeach other.

In an additional embodiment, shown by system 600 c of FIG. 6C, medicalkits 605 may be stored by aligning a predetermined number of medicalkits 605 on an edge of each medical kit 605. The predetermined number ofmedical kits 605 may then be held together by bookends 615, or the like,to ensure the medical kits 605 do not fall.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6D, a predetermined amount ofmedical kits 605 may be removably attached together. Medical kits 605may be removably attached together via attachment 620. Removableattachment 620 may be at least one of a plastic strap, an elastic strap,an elastic cord, and/or the like.

In yet another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6E, a plurality of medical kits605 may be stored in container 625. The container 625 may comprise a top630, a bottom 635, and a body 640 between the top 630 and the bottom635.

A plurality of medical kits 605 may be disposed within the body 640 ofthe container 625. Each medical kit 605 may comprise one outer bagcontaining one or more of at least one inner bag, at least one solutioncontainer, or at least one absorbent pad, and/or the like. The outer bagmay be evacuated to form a vacuum seal surrounding the one or more ofthe at least one inner bag, the at least one solution container, or theat least one absorbent pad, and/or the like.

The container 625 may further comprise (although it is not required) alid 645 attached to the top 630 of the container 625. A user may openthe lid 645 of the container 625 to insert additional medical kits 605into the container 625.

An opening 650 may be disposed near the bottom 635 of the container 625.The opening 650 may be configured to dispense at least one medical kit605 at a time from the bottom 635 of the container 625. The medical kits605 may be dispensed using gravity. For example, as at least one medicalkit 605 is pulled from the opening 650, gravity may cause anothermedical kit 605 to drop to the bottom 635 of the container 625.

The medical kit 605 may protrude from the opening 650 of the container625. Additionally, and/or alternatively, pulling/removing one medicalkit from the container 625 may cause an additional medical kit 605 toprotrude slightly from the opening 650 of the container 625.

The plurality of medical kits 605 within the container 625 may beattached together via perforations. In order to remove a medical kitattached to a plurality of medical kits via perforations, the container625 may further comprise (at the bottom 635 of the container 625) atleast four spring loaded tabs and a hand tab on either side of the body640 near the bottom 635. The plurality of medical kits 605 when disposedin the body 640 are arranged such that the perforations are adjacent tothe sides of the body 640.

Removing one of the at least one medical kit 605 by pulling anon-perforated side of the medical kit 605 via one of the hand tabscauses the spring-loaded tabs to flex and rebound to prevent the nextmedical kit 605 from falling. The resultant hanging medical kit can thenbe removed by tearing along the perforations. The bottom 635 of thecontainer 625 may be configured to aid a user to tear along theperforations of the one or more medical kits 605.

FIG. 6 represents a few of the possible ways a plurality of medical kits605 may be stored. Because the air has been evacuated from medical kits605, hospitals, medical offices, or dental offices, and/or the like, canstore more medical kits 605 and medical kits 605 can take up less spacein hospitals, medical offices, or dental offices, and/or the like.Further, because the components of medical kits 605 may be sterilizedand maintained within a sterile environment, medical kits 605 may beused immediately in intensive care units, operating rooms, and/or thelike.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 700 for implementing amethod for vacuum packing medical kits, in accordance with variousembodiments. While the techniques and procedures are depicted and/ordescribed in a certain order for purposes of illustration, it should beappreciated that certain procedures may be reordered and/or omittedwithin the scope of various embodiments. Moreover, while the method 700illustrated by FIG. 7 can be implemented by or with (and, in some cases,are described below with respect to) the medical kits, sets, processes,or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′),400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and 600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,and 6 respectively (or components thereof), such methods may also beimplemented using any suitable implementation. Similarly, while each ofthe medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively (or componentsthereof), can operate according to the method 700 illustrated by FIG. 7,the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can each also operateaccording to other modes of operation.

In the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 7, method 700, at block 705, maycomprise providing an outer bag capable of being vacuum sealed. Theouter bag capable of being vacuum sealed may be made from a vacuumsealable material and/or liquid-impermeable material such as film,plastic, and/or the like. At block 710, the method 700 may furthercomprise placing at least one inner bag within the outer bag. A solutioncontainer may then be placed within the bag (block 715). Next, at leastone absorbent pad may be placed within the outer bag (block 720).

Next, the method 700, at block 725, may further comprise evacuating airfrom the outer bag to create a vacuum seal surrounding the at least oneinner bag, the at least one solution container, and the at least oneabsorbent pad. By evacuating the bag containing the at least one innerbag, the at least one solution container, and the at least one absorbentpad, the size of the bag may be reduced.

The outer bag may then be sealed with at least one of glue, tape,compression, thermosetting, adhesive-curing, or melting an end of theouter bag, and/or the like.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the outer bag may comprise one ofone or more pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one ormore syringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or moresuction tips, one or more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one ormore electrodes, one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze,biohazard stickers, one or more bags containing water, or one or morevalves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves,one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like.

Further, the components contained within the outer bag may be sterilizedsuch that the components are available for immediate use when the outerbag is opened.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 800 for implementing amethod for vacuum packing a plurality of medical kits, in accordancewith various embodiments.

While the techniques and procedures are depicted and/or described in acertain order for purposes of illustration, it should be appreciatedthat certain procedures may be reordered and/or omitted within the scopeof various embodiments. Moreover, while the method 800 illustrated byFIG. 8 can be implemented by or with (and, in some cases, are describedbelow with respect to) the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100(or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′),500 (or 500′), and 600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6respectively (or components thereof), such methods may also beimplemented using any suitable implementation. Similarly, while each ofthe medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively (or componentsthereof), can operate according to the method 800 illustrated by FIG. 8,the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4, 5, and 6 can each also operateaccording to other modes of operation.

In the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 8, method 800, at block 805, maycomprise providing a first layer of vacuum sealable material. The firstlayer of vacuum sealable material may be formed from at least one of aflexible or rigid film, a flexible or rigid plastic, foam, or othermaterial that is vacuum sealable. The first layer may be formed to be athin sheet of material, a tray, and/or the like. Additionally, and/oralternatively, the first layer of vacuum sealable material may be madefrom liquid-impermeable material such as a film, a plastic, or othermaterial that is liquid-impermeable.

At block 810, the method 800 may further comprise providing a pluralityof medical kits. Each medical kit might have at least one inner bag, atleast one solution container, and/or at least one absorbent pad.

Each medical kit may further include, without limitation, one of one ormore pairs of gloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one or moresyringes, tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or more suctiontips, one or more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or moreelectrodes, one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze,biohazard stickers, one or more bags containing water, or one or morevalves (e.g., one or more air/water valves, one or more suction valves,one or more biopsy valves), and/or the like. Additionally, and/oralternatively, each medical kit may include, but is not limited to, atleast one of a plurality of pairs of gloves of different sizes, aplurality of transport bags of different sizes, a plurality of masks ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas of different sizes, aplurality of tip guards of different sizes, or a plurality of brushes ofdifferent sizes, and/or the like.

Method 800, at block 815, may also comprise placing at least two medicalkits of the plurality of medical kits in at least two different placeson top of the first layer of vacuum sealable material. A predeterminedamount of medical kits may be placed on the first layer of vacuumsealable material. Additionally, and/or alternatively, method 800, atblock 820, may comprise placing a second layer of vacuum sealablematerial over the first layer of vacuum sealable material and the atleast two medical kits. The second layer of vacuum sealable material maybe formed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, a flexible orrigid plastic, foam, or other material that is capable of being vacuumsealed. Additionally, and/or alternatively, the second layer of vacuumsealable material may be made from liquid-impermeable material such as afilm, a plastic, or other material that is liquid-impermeable.

Each medical kit may contain different components. In a non-limitingexample, a first medical kit may contain small gloves while a secondmedical kit may contain large gloves, and so on. In this manner, eachmedical kit may be tailored to serve a particular purpose and/or to beused by a particular user(s).

Each component of the medical kit (e.g., at least one inner bag, atleast one solution container, at least one absorbent pad, and/or thelike) may be sterilized before being placed on the first layer.Additionally, and/or alternatively, the first layer of the medical kitand the second layer of the medical kit may be sterilized.

Next, method 800, at block 825, may comprise creating at least twochambers with the first layer of vacuum sealable material and the secondlayer of vacuum sealable material, wherein each chamber contains onemedical kit. The first layer and second layer may surround the medicalkit creating the chamber containing one medical kit. The at least twochambers (each containing one medical kit) may be removably attached toeach other. The at least two chambers may be attached to one another viaone or more perforations between each chamber. The at least two chambersmay be detachable from one another via the one or more perforationsbetween each chamber. Additionally, and/or alternatively, the at leasttwo chambers may be configured to be attached to one another via atleast one of a string, a strip of plastic, or tape, and/or the like.

The at least two chambers may be configured to be stacked on top of eachother (for storage). Additionally, and/or alternatively, the at leasttwo chambers may be configured to stand upright on edges correspondingto the at least two chambers. The at least two chambers may be stored bystacking the at least two chambers on top of one another and/orattaching a specified number of chambers together and placing thespecified number of chambers upright on edges corresponding to thespecified number of chambers.

At block 830, method 800 may additionally comprise vacuum sealing eachof the at least two chambers (and/or evacuating air from the at leasttwo chambers). By evacuating air from the at least two chambers,components of the medical kit such as the absorbent pad may becompressed thereby reducing the size of the medical kits. Further, thechambers may be evacuated in a sterile environment to maintain a sterileenvironment for containing one or more components of the medical kit.When the chambers are opened, components of the medical kit may beimmediately used in intensive care units, operating rooms, and/or thelike.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 900 for implementing amethod for vacuum packing a plurality of medical kits, in accordancewith various embodiments.

While the techniques and procedures are depicted and/or described in acertain order for purposes of illustration, it should be appreciatedthat certain procedures may be reordered and/or omitted within the scopeof various embodiments. Moreover, while the method 900 illustrated byFIG. 9 can be implemented by or with (and, in some cases, are describedbelow with respect to) the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100(or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′),500 (or 500′), and 600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6respectively (or components thereof), such methods may also beimplemented using any suitable implementation. Similarly, while each ofthe medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e respectively (or components thereof), can operate accordingto the method 900 illustrated by FIG. 9, the medical kits, sets,processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300(or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and 600 a-600 e can each alsooperate according to other modes of operation.

In the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 9, method 900, at block 905, maycomprise providing a bag capable of being vacuum sealed. The bag capableof being vacuum sealed may be made from a vacuum sealable materialand/or liquid-impermeable material such as film, plastic, and/or thelike. At block 910, the method 900 may further comprise placing at leastone absorbent pad within the bag. A solution may then be placed on theabsorbent pad contained within the bag, and the solution may be at leastpartially absorbed by the absorbent pad (block 915).

Next, the method 900, at block 920, may further comprise evacuating airfrom the bag to create a partial vacuum seal surrounding the at leastone absorbent pad and the solution contained within the bag. Byevacuating the bag containing the absorbent pad and the solution, thesize of the bag may be reduced.

The bag containing the absorbent pad and the solution may then be sealedwith at least one of glue, tape, compression, thermosetting,adhesive-curing, or melting an end of the outer bag, and/or the like.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the partially evacuated bagcontaining the absorbent pad and the solution may be placed in an outerbag comprising other components of a medical kit. The other componentsof the medical kit may comprise one of one or more pairs of gloves, atransport bag, lubricating jelly, one or more syringes, tubing, one ormore sets of bite blocks, one or more suction tips, one or more facemasks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes, one or moretip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, biohazard stickers, one or morebags containing water, or one or more valves (e.g., one or moreair/water valves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsyvalves), and/or the like.

The outer bag comprising the bag containing the absorbent pad and thesolution and other components of the medical kit may then be vacuumsealed. By evacuating the outer bag, the size of the outer bag may bereduced. Further, the components contained within the outer bag may besterilized such that the components are available for immediate use whenthe outer bag is opened.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 1000 for implementing amethod for vacuum packing a plurality of medical kits, in accordancewith various embodiments.

While the techniques and procedures are depicted and/or described in acertain order for purposes of illustration, it should be appreciatedthat certain procedures may be reordered and/or omitted within the scopeof various embodiments. Moreover, while the method 1000 illustrated byFIG. 10 can be implemented by or with (and, in some cases, are describedbelow with respect to) the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100(or 100′, 100″, or 100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′),500 (or 500′), and 600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6respectively (or components thereof), such methods may also beimplemented using any suitable implementation. Similarly, while each ofthe medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively (or componentsthereof), can operate according to the method 1000 illustrated by FIG.10, the medical kits, sets, processes, or systems 100 (or 100′, 100″, or100′″), 200 (or 200′), 300 (or 300′), 400 (or 400′), 500 (or 500′), and600 a-600 e of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can each also operateaccording to other modes of operation.

In the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. 10, method 1000, at block 1005,may comprise providing a first layer of vacuum sealable material. Thefirst layer of vacuum sealable material may be formed from at least oneof a flexible or rigid film, a flexible or rigid plastic, or foam,and/or the like. The first layer may be formed to be a thin sheet ofmaterial, a tray, and/or the like. Additionally, and/or alternatively,the first layer of vacuum sealable material may be made fromliquid-impermeable material such as a film, a plastic, or other materialthat is liquid-impermeable.

At block 1010, the method 1000 may further comprise placing at least oneabsorbent pad on top of the first layer of vacuum sealable material. Theabsorbent pad may be at least one of a cloth, a sponge, a texturedsponge, a square sponge, or a tubular sponge, and/or the like. Next, themethod 1000, at block 1015, may comprise placing a solution on theabsorbent pad, and the solution may be at least partially absorbed bythe absorbent pad. The solution that is placed on the absorbent pad maybe at least one of a cleaning solution, a detergent, a ready-to-usedetergent, a concentrated detergent, a ready-to-use enzymatic detergent,a concentrated enzymatic detergent, water, distilled water, desalinatedwater, sterilized water, deionized water, sterilized distilled water,sterilized desalinated water, or sterilized deionized water, and/or thelike.

Additionally, and/or alternatively, the method 1000, at block 1020, maycomprise placing a second layer of vacuum sealable material over thefirst layer of vacuum sealable material, the at least one absorbent pad,and the solution. The second layer of vacuum sealable material may beformed from at least one of a flexible or rigid film, a flexible orrigid plastic, or foam, and/or the like. Additionally, and/oralternatively, the second layer of vacuum sealable material may be madefrom liquid-impermeable material such as a film, a plastic, or othermaterial that is liquid-impermeable. Next, at least one chamber may becreated with the first layer of vacuum sealable material and the secondlayer of vacuum sealable material, and each chamber may contain the atleast one absorbent pad and the solution (block 1025).

Once the at least one chamber is created, the method 1000, at block1030, may comprise evacuating air from the bag to create a partialvacuum seal surrounding the at least one absorbent pad and the solutioncontained within the bag. By at least partially evacuating air from theat least one chamber, the size of the chamber containing the at leastone absorbent pad and the solution may be reduced.

The chambers containing the absorbent pad and solution may be placed inan outer bag containing other components for a medical kit. The othercomponents of the medical kit may comprise one of one or more pairs ofgloves, a transport bag, lubricating jelly, one or more syringes,tubing, one or more sets of bite blocks, one or more suction tips, oneor more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes,one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, gauze, biohazard stickers,one or more bags containing water, or one or more valves (e.g., one ormore air/water valves, one or more suction valves, one or more biopsyvalves), and/or the like. Additionally, and/or alternatively, eachmedical kit may have at least one of a plurality of pairs of gloves ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of transport bags of different sizes, aplurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of tip guards of different sizes, or aplurality of brushes of different sizes, and/or the like.

The outer bag containing the chamber and at least one other componentmay be vacuum sealed to reduce the size of the outer bag. By evacuatingthe outer bag, the size of the outer bag may be reduced. Further, thecomponents contained within the outer bag may be sterilized such thatthe components are available for immediate use when the outer bag isopened.

Additionally, the outer bag may be created using a method similar to themethod described above for the chamber containing the absorbent pad andsolution. In a non-limiting example, the chamber containing theabsorbent pad and solution and an additional component of the medicalkit may be placed between a first layer of vacuum sealable material anda second layer of vacuum sealable material. The first layer of vacuumsealable material and the second layer of vacuum sealable material maybe used to encase the chamber containing the absorbent pad and solutionand an additional component of the medical kit and create an outerchamber. The air from the outer chamber may then be evacuated to encasethe chamber containing the absorbent pad and solution and an additionalcomponent of the medical kit.

While certain features and aspects have been described with respect toexemplary embodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize thatnumerous modifications are possible. For example, the methods andprocesses described herein may be implemented using hardware components,software components, and/or any combination thereof. Further, whilevarious methods and processes described herein may be described withrespect to particular structural and/or functional components for easeof description, methods provided by various embodiments are not limitedto any particular structural and/or functional architecture but insteadcan be implemented on any suitable hardware, firmware, and/or softwareconfiguration. Similarly, while certain functionality is ascribed tocertain system components, unless the context dictates otherwise, thisfunctionality can be distributed among various other system componentsin accordance with the several embodiments.

Moreover, while the procedures of the methods and processes describedherein are described in a particular order for ease of description,unless the context dictates otherwise, various procedures may bereordered, added, and/or omitted in accordance with various embodiments.Moreover, the procedures described with respect to one method or processmay be incorporated within other described methods or processes;likewise, system components described according to a particularstructural architecture and/or with respect to one system may beorganized in alternative structural architectures and/or incorporatedwithin other described systems. Hence, while various embodiments aredescribed with—or without—certain features for ease of description andto illustrate exemplary aspects of those embodiments, the variouscomponents and/or features described herein with respect to a particularembodiment can be substituted, added and/or subtracted from among otherdescribed embodiments, unless the context dictates otherwise.Consequently, although several exemplary embodiments are describedabove, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to coverall modifications and equivalents within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A medical kit, comprising: an outer bag capableof being vacuum sealed; at least one empty inner bag contained withinthe outer bag; at least one solution container comprising a solution,wherein the at least one solution container is contained within theouter bag; at least one absorbent pad contained within the outer bag;and at least one of one or more syringes, tubing, one or more suctiontips, one or more face masks, one or more nasal cannulas, one or moreelectrodes, one or more tip guards, one or more brushes, one or morebags containing water, or one or more valves contained within the outerbag and outside of the at least one empty inner bag, wherein the outerbag is evacuated to form a vacuum seal surrounding the at least oneempty inner bag, the at least one solution container, and the at leastone absorbent pad.
 2. The medical kit of claim 1, wherein the at leastone empty inner bag, the at least one solution container, and the atleast one absorbent pad are sterilized and maintained within a sterileenvironment within the vacuum sealed outer bag.
 3. The medical kit ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one empty inner bag is arranged within theouter bag such that, when the outer bag is opened, the inner bag doesnot rip or tear.
 4. The medical kit of claim 1, wherein the at least oneempty inner bag is unsealed within the outer bag.
 5. The medical kit ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one empty inner bag is configured to standupright when unfolded.
 6. The medical kit of claim 1, wherein the atleast one empty inner bag comprises at least two sidewall panels, andwherein the side wall panels are configured to expand.
 7. The medicalkit of claim 1, wherein the at least one empty inner bag comprises atleast two empty inner bags.
 8. The medical kit of claim 1, wherein thesolution is at least one of a cleaning solution, a detergent, aready-to-use detergent, a concentrated detergent, a ready-to-useenzymatic detergent, a concentrated enzymatic detergent, water,distilled water, desalinated water, sterilized water, deionized water,sterilized distilled water, sterilized desalinated water, or sterilizeddeionized water.
 9. The medical kit of claim 1, wherein the at least onesolution container comprises at least two solution containers.
 10. Themedical kit of claim 9, wherein the at least two solution containerscomprise at least two different solutions.
 11. The medical kit of claim1, further comprising at least one of a plurality of pairs of gloves ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of transport bags of different sizes, aplurality of masks of different sizes, a plurality of nasal cannulas ofdifferent sizes, a plurality of tip guards of different sizes, aplurality of brushes of different sizes, or a plurality of valves ofdifferent sizes.
 12. A method for making a plurality of medical kits,the method comprising: providing a first layer of vacuum sealablematerial; providing a plurality of medical kits, wherein each medicalkit comprises at least one empty inner bag, at least one solutioncontainer, at least one absorbent pad, and at least one of one or moresyringes, tubing, one or more suction tips, one or more face masks, oneor more nasal cannulas, one or more electrodes, one or more tip guards,one or more brushes, one or more bags containing water, or one or morevalves disposed outside of the at least one empty inner bag; placing atleast two medical kits of the plurality of medical kits in at least twodifferent places on top of the first layer of vacuum sealable material;placing a second layer of vacuum sealable material over the first layerof vacuum sealable material and the at least two medical kits; creatingat least two chambers with the first layer of vacuum sealable materialand the second layer of vacuum sealable material, wherein each chambercontains one medical kit; and vacuum sealing each of the at least twochambers.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least two chambersare attached to one another.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the atleast two chambers are attached to one another via one or moreperforations between each chamber, and wherein the at least two chambersare detachable from one another via the one or more perforations betweeneach chamber.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least twochambers are configured to be stacked on top of each other.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the at least two chambers are configured tobe attached to one another via at least one of a string, a strip ofplastic, or tape.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein, when the at leasttwo chambers are attached to one another via at least one of the string,the strip of plastic, or the tape, the at least two chambers areconfigured to stand upright on edges corresponding to the at least twochambers.
 18. The method of claim 12, further comprising: storing the atleast two chambers, wherein the at least two chambers are stored byattaching a specified number of chambers together and placing thespecified number of chambers upright on edges corresponding to thespecified number of chambers.